India, Jan. 1 -- England's Ashes campaign may still have one Test left to play, but the fallout has begun with the ECB's top brass poised to arrive in Australia for face-to-face discussions with the touring party.

Chief executive Richard Gould is expected to travel to Sydney for "crunch talks" with England's leadership group, as reported by the Daily Mail, with head coach Brendon McCullum's position set to be part of the wider conversation.

England trail 3-1 in the five-Test series, meaning Australia have already retained the urn, and the Sydney Test at the SCG begins on January 4. The fourth Test win in Melbourne offered a late lift, but it has not erased the questions raised by defeats earlier in the tour and a turbulent year across f...